The present disclosure relates to nonwoven abrasive articles, such as unitized abrasive wheels and convolute abrasive wheels. More particularly, it relates to nonwoven abrasive articles having a moisture barrier layer, and methods of making nonwoven abrasive articles having a moisture barrier layer.
Nonwoven abrasive articles useful for abrading operations generally have a nonwoven fiber web (e.g., a lofty open fiber web), abrasive particles, and a binder material (commonly termed a “binder”) that bonds the fibers to each other and secures the abrasive particles to the fiber web. Examples of nonwoven abrasive articles include nonwoven abrasive hand pads such as those marketed by 3M Company of Saint Paul, Minn. under the trade designation “SCOTCH-BRITE”. Other examples of abrasive articles include convolute abrasive wheels and unitized abrasive wheels. Nonwoven abrasive wheels typically have abrasive particles distributed throughout layers of nonwoven fiber web bonded together with a binder material that bonds layers of nonwoven fiber web together, and likewise bonds the abrasive particles to the nonwoven fiber web. Unitized abrasive wheels have individual discs of nonwoven fiber web arranged in a parallel fashion to form a cylinder having a hollow axial core. Alternatively, convolute abrasive wheels have nonwoven fiber web spirally disposed and affixed to a core member.
Moisture in the form of, for example, humidity, can have a negative impact on the performance of on such nonwoven abrasive articles. More specifically, humidity can reduce the life and/or cut rate of nonwoven abrasive articles. To address this issue, nonwoven abrasive articles may be stored in a low humidity environment or placed in, for example, a desiccator.